World’s Tallest Holiday Inn to Open in Macau

Perhaps only in Macau could a hotel with 1,224 rooms be described as “mid scale”.

But that is exactly how the press release issued by InterContinental Hotels and Resorts describes a contract signed with Sands China Ltd to operate a 1,224 room Holiday Inn on the former Portuguese enclave’s emerging Cotai Strip, which was the result of a massive landfill linking the former islands of Taipa and Coloane.

The Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Strip will be the world’s largest Holiday Inn. It will form part of Sands China’s newest integrated resort – Sands Cotai Central. Scheduled to open in early 2012, Sands Cotai Central will include the second largest building in the world.

The Sands China complex will offer 6,000 additional hotel rooms to the area. Other facilities will include casinos, restaurants and cafes, shopping, entertainment venues, and meeting facilities.

“This is a great addition to IHG’s portfolio with Las Vegas Sands (LVS) on the first-ever InterContinental Alliance Resorts project, which includes the Venetian and The Palazzo Resorts in Las Vegas launched in May this year,” says Keith Barr, Chief Executive Officer for IHG Greater China.

“We have established a foundation of mutual trust with LVS, which will lead to future relationships. We will continue and even accelerate our quality growth both globally and in Greater China by partnering with international large-scale and influential developers like LVS.”

I Remember When

Macau sure has changed since I saw it for the first time in the early 1970s. Then is really WAS a sleepy little Portuguese enclave with cobblestone streets.

Even when I returned to live there in 1989, it was still pretty laid back. There were no high rises on Taipa. The tallest buildings were the mid-rise Hyatt Regency hotel and some staff housing at the University of Macau.

Now there are high rises everywhere – as well as new casinos, expensive restaurants, bars and pubs, five star hotels, day spas, shopping malls, and various entertainment venues.

Macau 101

Macau was the first permanent European settlement in the Far East. The Portuguese administered it for more than 400 years.

In addition to its world famous casinos, the Former Portuguese Enclave has a growing number of hotels and resorts, numerous restaurants and cafes, a plethora of bars and pubs, fabulous shopping malls, luxurious day spas, fantastic entertainment venues, a rich and diverse culture – the list goes on.